London is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada having a population of about 337,318 (2001). It was settled in 1826 and established as a city in 1855. London and the surrounding area (roughly, the territory between Kitchener, Ontario and Chatham, Ontario) are known as Western Ontario. London is known as the "Forest City" due to its large areas of parkland and extensive tree cover.

Prior to European contact in the 17th century, the present site of London was occupied by numerous Iroquois villages; the village at the forks of Askumessippi (the Thames River) was called Kotequogong. This site was selected as the site of the future capital of Upper Canada by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793, although the city itself was not founded until 1826 and it never became the capital envisioned by Simcoe. It was part of the Talbot Settlement, overseen by Colonel Thomas Talbot, who surveyed the land and built the first government buildings for the administration of the Western Ontario region. With the rest of southwestern Ontario which was part of this settlement it benefited from Talbot's provisions for building and maintaining roads and for assignment of priority for access to main roads to productive land (rather than to Crown and clergy reserves, which received preference in the rest of Ontario). London remained a centre of strong Tory support during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, with a large British garrison stationed there, although Charles Duncombe did lead a group of rebels there.

London continued its role as a military centre during the two world wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. Today there is still an active Canadian Forces Base in the city.

London continues to grow, having amalgamated many of the surrounding communities in the 1990s. It is currently the 11th largest city in Canada and the 5th largest city in Ontario.

On May 24, 1881, the ferry SS Victoria capsized in the Thames River, drowning approximately 200 passengers.

On April 26, 1937, there was a devastating flood that destroyed over 1000 homes and caused millions of dollars in damages. After repeated floods the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority[?] built Fanshawe Dam to control the level of the Thames; it opened in 1952. Financing came from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments.

Law/Government
London's mayor is Anne Marie DeCicco. London has 7 councillors who represent each of 7 wards. There is also a Board of Control, consisting of 4 Controllers and the mayor.

Physical geography (area, unique features)
The Thames dominates London's geography, with the river's two branches meeting at the centre of the city. The North Branch of the Thames runs through the man-made Lake Fanshawe, located to the north-east of London.

Demographics
In 2001, London had a population of 326,539 (2001). Its population is fairly diverse, although there is no significant minority population, with Polish-speakers being the next-largest group after English-speakers at only 1.9%. Seventy-nine per cent of the population was born in Canada, and 81% spoke an official language as a first language.

The Richard Ivey School of Business is part of UWO, was formed in 1922 and it often ranks among the best business schools in the world, and the best in Canada.

UWO has three affiliated colleges: Brescia University College, founded in 1919, Canada's only university-level women's college; Huron University College, founed in 1863, pre-dating UWO itself; and King's College, founded in 1957.

London is also the home of Fanshawe College[?], a community college with an enrolment of over 10,000 students.

London is also an important destination for intercity bus travellers, perhaps because of the cost of Via Rail travel and widespread belief in its unreliability. The express service from Toronto is heavily travelled, and connecting services radiate from London throughout Western Ontario.